title: Spinal meningioma becoming symptomatic in the third trimester of pregnancy.
abstract: We report a rare case of a spinal meningioma leading to symptoms of spinal cord compression starting in the third trimester of gestation in a 32-year-old woman. Neurological symptoms, which continued to progress after the patient had given birth, were assumed to be sequelae of pregnancy and delivery, leading to a 6 month delay in diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately a gross total resection was achieved at surgery and the patient recovered fully, without permanent consequences. Associated symptoms of spinal cord compression may be falsely attributed to pregnancy, both by the pregnant women and her treating physician. A high index of suspicion and thorough history and physical examination to identify red flags should be performed in patients with neurological symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, P.O. Box 12000, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
authors.forename: Stylianos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pikis
authors.forename: José E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: Yair
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Barzilay
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Yigal
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shoshan
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Itshayek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008579:Meningioma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Pregnancy; Spinal cord compression; Spinal meningioma